This invention relates to an apparatus and method for protecting automotive vehicles from damage by flood waters.
Motor vehicle flood protection devices are known in the prior art as shown in Battle U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,535. Battle shows a flood protection apparatus in which a unitary flexible plastic bag receives and encloses a motor vehicle and has a draw string for closing the top of the container over the top of the vehicle and gathering-in the open top. This device requires an excessive amount of material (the bag opening would have to be as wide as the base or approximately so, to get the vehicle into the bag, then the draw string gathers in approximately 40 feet plus of material. Water could splash over the top of the bag and gain entrance to the confined space, and rain water could also enter the space. In Rogers U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,456, individual seals are subject to considerable variation in application and could easily leak thus defeating the purpose of the container. These two references refer to other prior art references that may be consulted for further prior art expediencies.
We have discovered that when the flood water levels are about 1-2 feet or greater above ground level, the average vehicle, such as a car or pickup truck, in a flexible waterproof container as disclosed herein. If the waterproof container has a sealed upper edge that is at a level at least greater in height than the height of the flood water and rain or splashing flood waters are prevented from entering the lower container portion and the lower portion is tethered or otherwise anchored to some fixed object such as a telephone pole, power pole, concrete slab, weights, etc., the car will be protected. Anchoring or otherwise tethering the container prevents the floating car from being damaged and damaging other objects due to the movement given to it by the flowing flood waters. At the same time, tethering or anchoring the vehicle container and the vehicle prevents puncturing or other damage to the container.
Moreover, since the receptacle or container can float and the car can float in a relatively low level of flood water, it is not necessary in a preferred embodiment to join the cover to the top edge by a watertight seal against flood waters.
Apart from requiring an excess of material, when the top of the container is gathered-in, as in Battle U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,535, rain water and splashing flood waters can enter the top and, instead of being damaged by rising flood waters, the vehicle can be damaged by the collected rain water and/or splashed-in rain water.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention top and bottom tough water impervious rectangular plastic sheets are hermetically sealed together on three sides to form a vehicle-receiving envelope with the unsealed sides being open and of sufficient size to allow a vehicle to be driven into the envelope and the driver to exit from it. In this embodiment, the material is semi-opaque and has colored (red, for example) guideline marks, a "T" for example, on the top cover sheet and the driver advances the vehicle, aligning with the stem of the "T" and when the cross or horizontal of the "T" is seen at the top front part of the hood, the vehicle is stopped. The driver exits and the car envelope is sealed by rolling up the vehicle entrance or open end on a rigid member and clamped, and then tethered to prevent drifting with flood water currents.
Since in most situations it is unnecessary to render the entire bag leak-proof, in a further preferred embodiment, the present invention seeks to provide a cover for the container that sheds or causes the rain water to runoff.
In a further preferred embodiment, a top cover is provided that overlaps and is secured in place to the lower waterproof container portion, such that rain water or splashing flood waters are precluded from entering the floating container thereby protecting the vehicle therein. In many cases, vehicle owners may already have conventional vehicle covers which can serve as the top cover.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the tetherable or anchorable car container or receptacle has its upper edges provided with a drawstring and/or elastic or other pliable member extending about the opening and which is adapted to be shortened to pull the upper edges snugly against the top sides of the vehicle passenger compartment and well above the float level for the vehicle type used. As used herein, the term, "float level for the vehicle type", means for a given vehicle type, weight and a given size or volume of lower container, the height of the bag or receptacle portion required to cover the vehicle's structure from the ground level to where the container or receptacle, with the given vehicle in it, begins to float.
A gathering rope or drawstring, in a gathering rope passage formed in the upper edges of the sidewalls and end walls of the lower or bottom container or vehicle receptacle, gathers in the edges of the sidewalls snugly against the upper cabin portion or passenger compartment of the vehicle so that when the top cover is fastened in place, the lateral perimetrical edges of the top cover panel are overlapped and positioned below the upper edges of the walls of the receptacle or container. In this way, instead of seeking to make the entire container impervious or waterproof as in the first described embodiment, only the lower portions of the vehicle container or receptacle are made fully waterproof and this need only be up to a certain point or level to assure the floatability of the container or receptacle with a vehicle in it. Care is taken in the design of the present invention to assure that rain water and flashing flood waters do not enter the container but, rather, fall on the top cover panel and flow or run off easily into the surrounding flood waters. To this end, an elastic hem is formed on certain portions of the upper edges of the sidewall panels and end walls and a tether or anchor member is secured to the flexible plastic receptacle or container next to the lower edges of it, and an anchor stake or other anchor member means is used to secure or tether the container or receptacle to a stationary object. In a preferred embodiment, the tether line carries measurement indicia so that measured amounts or lengths of tether line, according to the expected or anticipated height or level of flood waters, can be selected.
In a still further embodiment, the bottom and top covers are comprised of two rectangular sheets of waterproof material which hermetically are sealed at one corner and two adjacent or intersecting sides. The corner of the top cover sheet is lifted at its free edges by one individual to allow the vehicle to be driven in the space defined in part by the two sealed and intersecting sides or edges. The unsealed or free edges are then rolled on a relatively rigid member and the rolled-up edges clamped by large shielded clamps to maintain the seal.
In each embodiment, the bottom panel may include means to reduce the likelihood of puncture such as being a thicker plastic membrane or the bottom panel can include a layer of burlap, spun polyethylene or rip stock nylon.
While the present invention is directed to protecting vehicles from flood waters, it will be appreciated that the invention can be used to protect large and valuable possessions from impending flood conditions. By providing a water-impervious receptacle having a floatable lower plastic portion and loading the receptacle with said possessions, and placing rain water and splashing flood water impervious cover over the possessions in an overlapping relation to the lower plastic portion so that rain water and splashing flood water run off and tether the lower container to an immobile object with a tether line of sufficient length to allow the lower plastic portion to drift with flowing flood waters to the end of the tether line, these possessions can similarly be protected.
In one preferred embodiment, the cover bag of waterproof material is supplied on a flexible plastic roller that is useful in rapidly applying the bottom or lower cover or bag portion to the vehicle. The lower bag is initially looped around the front or engine compartment of the vehicle (an automobile or small pickup truck) and the roller is placed snugly in the notch formed by the front wheels and ground or pavement. Sufficient "excess" cover is pulled off of the roller to allow for the vehicle advancement over the roller two times (front and rear wheels). The roller and the external surface of the bottom panel can have markings for wheel alignment and are matched with the vehicle wheels. The vehicle is then driven or pushed forward just over the roller and stopped. The roller is then unrolled to the rear wheels and placed snugly in the notch formed by the rear wheels and ground or pavement. The vehicle is advanced forward over the roller and stopped. Then the remaining cover material is taken off of the roller and placed over the rear or trunk portion of the vehicle. The cover will be held snugly in place by the elastic band and/or drawstring or cord around the top or upper edges of the bottom or lower cover. The top or upper cover is then placed over the top of the vehicle so that the lower edges of the top cover portion overlays or overlaps the upper sides and edges of the bottom or lower cover portion. The top cover portion is secured in place by an elastic and/or draw string or cord. The tether or anchor attachments are then secured to a stationary object, as the vehicle will float after sufficient flood water has accumulated. In this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the fitting of the bottom cover portion to the vehicle can begin from the rear or trunk area. The material for the top cover portion can be a lightweight PVC, spun bound polypropylene and similar materials. Moreover, some vehicle owners may already have conventional vehicle covers which can serve as the top cover in this two-piece embodiment. The sizes will vary according to the classification size for the vehicle: subcompact, compact, intermediate and full size.